Zara Larsson – Never Forget You

It takes a lot of confidencefor any aspiring performerto go on national television and singtheir heart out in front of millions of people. It takes even more guts togo on national television and sing two of the most iconic, hard–to–nailballads in the pop music canon,but that’s exactly what Zara Larsson did as a contestant on Sweden’s Got Talentin 2008. She was 10 years old.It never occurred to her todo anything less. An angelic–faced, blue–eyed blonde, Larsson won the showhandilywith her self–assured renditions of Whitney Houston’s “The Greatest Love of All” and Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On,” decimating her competition with a killer combo of talent, charm, and fresh–faced beauty. Now 17, Larsson still radiates boldness, not to mention a powerhouse voice, which will certainly help as she launches her career in the U.S. with her debut single “Uncover” for TEN/ Epic/Kemosabe. Larssonis already a bonafide superstar in Scandinavia, where she has released two EPs, IntroducingandAllow Me To ReintroduceMyself, and an album, 1, on theSwedish label TenRecords(also home to Icona Pop and Erik Hassle). “Uncover,” which Larsson first posted on YouTube, was her breakthrough hit, topping the charts in Sweden and Norway and earning 6x–Platinum certification(as did Introducing).Her follow–up singles, “She’s Not Me Pt 1 &2” and “Bad Boys,”also garnered success onthe Scandinavian charts, as did 2014’s Top 10 hits “Carry You Home” and“Rooftop.” Many of thosetrackshave been collected on Larsson’s six–songUncoverEP, an R&B–flavoredpop confection filled with relatable lyrics, catchy hooks, and melodies designedto show off Larsson’s impressive vocal range.Larsson says she chosethemfor her U.S. debut because “theywere the ones that we knew people liked the best and that I liked the best.” Taken together, the songs sketchout the many sides of love, whether it’s hidden (“Uncover”), jealous (“She’s NotMe”), supportive (“Carry You Home”),heartbreaking (“Never GonnaDie”),wistful(“Rooftop”),or downright joyful (“Wanna Be Your Baby”). “Thesongs are about love because love is pretty much the key to everything,” Larsson says. “’Uncover’ is about two people who want to be together, but can’t let anyone know. As soon as they’re alone, they can finally ‘uncover,’” Larsson says. “Idon’t thinkof it as a cute love song, it’s more about people who can’t be seen together because society tells them it isn’t okay, like peoplein same–sex relationships.” Such thoughtful declarations arenot unusual from Larsson, who grew up in the socially progressiveSwedish capital of Stockholm. She may have favored big–voiced mainstream songbirds like WhitneyandCelinegrowing up, but now her music taste leans toward R&B and hip–hop and she cites Beyoncé, Eminem,and Nicki Minaj as favorites. Her father, an officer in the Swedish Navy,loved AC/DC, Metallica, The Sex Pistols, and Queen and he passed on his love for the latter’s theatrical swaggerto his daughter. Larssoncan’t remember a time when she wasn’t singing. “We had no furniture in front of the table because that was my stage,” she recalls. “I had this special area marked out where I could dance and sing. My younger sister and I would put on shows for my parents and their guests.”In 2008, she decided to try out for Sweden’s Got Talent, encouraged by thesecond–place finish of a friend of hers the previous year. Of her winning performance, Larsson saysthat she barely remembers her time on stage.“Watching myselfthat young is very weird, but I’m very proud of what I did.” The win led to her signingwith independent music company TEN Music Group in 2012, followed by posting a video for “Uncover” to YouTube in 2013. “I thought maybe I’dget 20,000 hits, maybe100,000.” The official version hasnow racked up over nine million views. Larsson’ssuccess in Scandinavia has led to other significantmoments in her burgeoning career, including supporting Cher Lloyd on the British singer’s 2013 North American “I Wish” Tour(“The American audiences didn’t know my name, I didn’t have any songs out,and still people were screaming and shouting, it was so crazy,” she says),and performing “Uncover” at the 2013 Nobel Peace Prize Concert in Oslo backed by an orchestra and choir.In April 2013, Larsson was signed by L.A. Reid to Epic Records and Dr. Luke to his Kemosabe Records label. With guidance from two of the music industry’s biggestplayers, Larsson is looking forward to releasing her music in America, which she calls “the center of the entertainment universe. People in Sweden are obsessed with America.” Establishing herself in the U.S. will also give her the opportunity to do what she loves best:perform livefor as many people as possible. “My dream is to stand in front of60,000 people in an arena and know that everyone came because they wanted to make memories with me,” she says. “That’s a beautiful thing. The more successful you are, the more people are going to come and be a part of the music.”